Monday, 8 September 2014

donna hay's ANZAC Cookies from Classic 2.

The reason I started baking was pure gluttony. I wanted a sweet treat warm from the oven and I wasn't going to get it unless I made it myself. I used to bake alot more at home when I lived at home with my parents. It could have been because there was a dishwasher at home, I was used to the oven, mum has a stand mixer or maybe it was just that there were more mouths to feed and I didn't feel so guilty knowing I was going to eat the entire batch or cookies or whatever delicious morsel I was making that time around.

I still enjoy baking but I have to admit that I'm impatient now and never think earlier enough if I want something sweet then, it's always a little last minute. Also if a recipe then starts with... 'stand mixer' I quickly turn the page cursing to myself or if it then says let the batter stand I also turn the page cursing at myself wishing I was more organised.

I look for easy melt and mix recipe or ones that can be done in a food processor. I have one of them :)

My gluttony started with craving something a little different. Something I hadn't made before so I thought of opening one of my most trusty cake books 'Cake' by Alison Thompson and got all the ingredients out for Ginger nut biscuits except that I had no ground ginger. Yes I could have gone to the store and bought some but then it also means I could go and buy a packet of my all time favourites Arrnotts Mint Slice so going to the shop was out of the question. Next option was shortbread. I love a good shortbread with the caster sugar dusted on the outside. YUM. But the couple of recipes I found all required rice flour (ok I didn't look very hard either because I'm sure I could have found a shortbread recipe without rice flour somewhere in my recipe collection) but I also had the golden syrup out.

Melt and mix... melt and mix... Come on think girl!

ANZAC cookies! of course! I had all the ingredients in my pantry and it was a melt and mix recipe. Why hadn't I thought of this earlier??

ANZAC biscuits are an Australian Classic. Mothers and wives used to make them and send them to the troops at war. The ingredients used withstand long periods of time so they were perfect to send to their loved ones.

Most ANZAC cookies are a stock standard recipe of golden syrup, butter, coconut, flour, sugar, rolled oats and bi-carb. I went with a recipe from Donna Hay's Classics 2 (it was already out from looking up shortbread). All you do it place the flour, sugar, coconut and rolled oats in a bowl. Melt the butter and golden syrup together. Add the bi-carb and some water together at the last minute then add that to the hot butter mixture. Everything bubbles up then pour it over the dry goodies in your bowl. So Easy!!

And so delicious might I say. Chewy and golden with the golden syrup giving it hints of caramel. Goes amazing with a cuppa!